NEW DELHI — U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said a 10-year defense pact signed in 2025 will significantly deepen the defense partnership between the United States and India, calling the relationship strong and expanding.
Gor made the remarks following a meeting with Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and other senior Indian officials.
In a post on X, Gor said, “Just last year, the United States and India signed a 10-year defense pact which will significantly deepen our Defense Partnership. Joint exercises will continue, and additional sales are in progress. This is a strong relationship! Thank you for hosting us, Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.”
Earlier this week, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with a three-member U.S. congressional delegation, including two Republicans and one Democrat, along with Ambassador Gor. The discussions focused on trade, security, and broader strategic issues.
Jaishankar described the meeting as productive and said in a post on X, “Discussed various aspects of India-U.S. ties, Indo-Pacific and Ukraine conflict. Congressional interactions have always been an important facet of our relationship.”
Gor said those talks were “productive” and centered on strengthening bilateral cooperation in security, trade, and critical technologies.
The 10-year defense partnership was signed in October 2025, when Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Malaysia. Officials said the agreement is intended to usher in a new phase of cooperation in an already robust defense relationship.
“The 2025 framework marks a new chapter to further transform the partnership over the next 10 years. It is intended to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defense cooperation,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
According to the ministry, both sides welcomed the momentum in bilateral defense cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the partnership across all areas.
Hegseth reiterated that India remains a priority partner for the United States in defense cooperation and said Washington is committed to working closely with New Delhi to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“India and the U.S. continue to expand and deepen defense relationship through military-to-military exercises and activities, information sharing, collaboration with like-minded regional and global partners, defense industrial, science and technology cooperation and defense coordination mechanisms,” the ministry said. (Source: IANS)
